NAIROBI — What began as a policy summit on food systems quickly turned into a rallying cry.
At the heart of Nairobi’s Kenyatta International Convention Centre on Thursday, Heifer International called on governments, donors, and investors to back Africa’s young farmers not out of charity, but out of economic common sense.
“These are not pipe dreams,” said Clarice Bugo-Kionge, Heifer’s interim Kenya director. “These are profitable, impactful innovations already changing lives.”
Speaking to a packed auditorium at the Financing Agri-Food Systems Sustainably (FINAS) Summit 2025, Bugo-Kionge issued a stark warning: without urgent support for young agricultural entrepreneurs, the continent risks falling even further behind in its battle against hunger and climate stress.
Africa’s population is expected to balloon to 2.5 billion by 2050. But its food systems are already buckling under the weight of erratic weather and failing infrastructure. Farming still employs over 60% of Africa’s workforce, but only 23% of youth in the sector currently use any form of technology, according to a recent Heifer report.
“Business as usual is not an option,” she said. “We’re sitting on a powder keg of unmet potential.”
The report dubbed The Future of Africa’s Agriculture surveyed nearly 30,000 young people in 11 countries. It found that lack of access to financing and digital training are the two biggest hurdles facing youth-driven innovation in agriculture.
Kenya’s Prime Cabinet Secretary, Musalia Mudavadi, echoed the urgency.
“It’s time to move from transactional to transformational finance,” he said. “One that anticipates opportunity instead of just reacting to crisis.”
In his address, Mudavadi challenged traditional lenders to adapt to Africa’s diverse realities. He cited pastoralist communities in Marsabit, fish traders on Lake Victoria, and app-building agripreneurs in Kigali as examples of sectors where old funding models no longer apply.
“Are we financing to empower or to extract?” he asked. “Our smallholder farmers who feed over 75% of our nation are stuck in cycles of low productivity because the money isn’t reaching them.”
He urged investors to consider smarter, more flexible tools like climate bonds, diaspora financing, and Islamic finance to unlock rural growth.
Heifer, which aims to reach over 600,000 Kenyan households with sustainable agricultural solutions by 2030, points to its AYuTe (Agriculture, Youth, and Technology) programme as a sign of what’s possible when young talent is supported.
Since launching in 2022, AYuTe Kenya has coached over 230 youth-led startups and disbursed more than $40,000 in seed capital. One standout is DigiCow, a mobile platform that digitises produce collection and provides dairy farmers with training and veterinary services.
Founded by Peninah Wanja, DigiCow has already made waves among smallholders, bringing a new level of efficiency and transparency to Kenya’s dairy sector.
But such innovations remain the exception, not the norm. Bugo-Kionge lamented that agritech still receives less than 1% of global venture capital.
“That’s not just unfair it’s irrational,” she said. “If we’re serious about food security, climate resilience, and inclusive growth, this is where the smart money should go.”
In her closing remarks, she turned directly to the young people in the room: “Continue to dream boldly, build relentlessly, and never underestimate your power to change not just farming but society.”
She left the audience with a final question: “Can we afford not to invest in youth-led agritech? The answer is no. Not if we want a future that feeds us all.”
